Making A Coil Winder & Winding Coils For Axial Flux Generators & Motors

Making A Coil Winder & Winding Coils For Axial Flux Generators & Motors
In this video I'm going to show you how I built a coil winder for making axial flux generator coils, and talk a little bit about how I like to wind them. Links for previous generator and turbine builds are below.
3 kW wind turbine:
• 3 kW Off Grid Wind Tur...
1 kW wind turbine:
• 1 kW Wind Turbine Build
Website: www.resystech.com
Support RST on Patreon or KZbin and earn membership perks:
/ resystech
/ @jamesbiggar
Follow RST on Facebook:
/ renewablesystemstechno...

[@JODmonn]

yey a new video. Sadly its not motorcycle

[@JamesBiggar]

Still testing the replacement cells, but they should be ready to build the battery and test the powertrain very soon. Then on to powder coating and 3d printing some plastic.

[@wagnerbrochini3892]

​@@JamesBiggar About 3D printing, which material did you use for these gray pieces on the winder?

[@JamesBiggar]

CF infused PETG, for no reason other than that's what I had on hand to print with. Just about any type of plastic filament will work fine for this as long as 100% infill is used.

[@wagnerbrochini3892]

@@JamesBiggar Figured it was CF, the looks are killer 👌

[@SustainableCraig]

I really like when you add narration to your videos. This video was awesome! Can't wait to see the new content in this wind turbine series.

[@rickreid8149]

Thanks James I look forward to the rest of the series. You are a great teacher mate.

[@ThePunitiveDamages]

Awesome James. The timing couldn't be better for your new upcoming series. I'm trying to figure out a way to adapt your generator to a poncelet water wheel using a drive shaft and some gearing. Very excited to learn about sizing your windings and better understanding how these flux generators work. Keep up the great work!

[@andrewangerer1399]

This is a great video and I learned a lot. Unfortunately, this was about the 10th video down in my search as I had to wade thru multiple "free energy" BS videos. Shame on KZbin for misleading and purposely giving me bad video results.

[@WickedMachineWorks]

Awesome mate! Love seeing technical yet practical videos like this on KZbin!

[@belgrademachine]

So well explained! All you projects are cool but I'm really look forward to this one. Thanks James

[@JamesBiggar]

Thanks man!

[@diyelectrified1289]

I had a thought when you were talking about the air gaps between the wires. I had these Morel speakers that I got 30 years ago that used hexagonal shaped magnetic wire so that they could wrap with almost zero air gap in the voice coil. With your skill, maybe you can make a die/jig that would press a thicker gauge magnetic wire into a hex shape? I never miss one of your videos. Keep them coming brother!

[@JamesBiggar]

It's definitely a good idea. I've seen square magnet wire before. Think I'll give it a try in one of the stators.

[@TheMontesaltos1]

The squaring of the copper wire can be done without damaging the insulation on good quality winding wire

[@MAGATRON-DESTROY]

​@@TheMontesaltos1a hardened steel die should be possible. One that tapers from round to square and you pull the wire through. You may have to make a 2 or 3 die set

[@MAGATRON-DESTROY]

​@@JamesBiggarI bet you could make a set of dies that progressively get more square as you pull the wire through

[@nicolasrichard7199]

Perfectly fit for my project. Great work with this. Thanks for sharing

[@Specky12]

Superb James. This is going to be an interesting build series.

[@Makeringedients]

Looking forward to more wind turbine builds!

[@TheAvdeevVladimir]

awesome, looking forward to see new videos. btw I think that is the best choice (money/time) is to manually winding such thick copper. For thin copper cable need automatic system.

[@michaelward402]

Brilliant and so much information packed into the video. I was looking to find out such information and it was good to learn quite a bit from this one. I will certainly be interested in your axial flux generator and the calculations used. It is amazing how little information there is on the net regarding generators.

[@suntzu6122]

So damn cool!!!! Id love to see you build an axial flux motor for your crosscart!

[@tanohack]

Wow very interesting video

[@bigwave_dave8468]

Nicely done!

[@ATomRileyA]

Great build

[@zundappwatercooler]

Thanks for explaining

[@TheRealRocknRolla-4]

Hello. Very nice work. Any update on this new wind turbine?

[@4U4U7]

Would replacing neodymium magnets with ferrite magnets change things a lot? What advice could you give in that regards? Keep up the great work and thank you!

[@JamesBiggar]

Thanks. Unfortunately, yes. Ferrite magnets have a considerably weaker flux. A 2"x1"x1/2" thick N52 neodymium magnet would have around 14000 gauss and 80 lbs of pull strength. A ferrite magnet of the same size would only have around 4000 gauss and ~10lbs of pull strength. Flux density is the determining factor, and the higher it is, the smaller the magnets can be. Builders have used ferrite before and some have coupled it with iron core stators in axial flux pmg's, but they don't produce the same power without stacking multiple large magnets to make up the difference which makes the build cumbersome and really heavy, and using iron core to pull more flux in comes with increased cogging resistance and lower efficiency, so there's no gain in the end other than saving a couple hundred $ on magnets. Neodymium is a lot more expensive, but the higher density and subsequent higher efficiency from the turbine and generator will make up that difference and so much more over its lifetime.

[@4U4U7]

@James Biggar Thank you very much for your reply and help, truly appreciated! I will take your advice to heart go the neodymium route. Keep well and all the best to you and your loved ones.

[@mimidbe9108]

Good idea!

[@Edmorbus]

Awesome Thanks for sharing

[@deonsmith3]

Hi James, what would you charge me to build a coil winder like this one. I am totally off grid and can only run minimal appliances.

[@daver.236]

It doesn't seem to make any difference what your subject matter is, I enjoy watching them all. All hail the algorithm. :-)

[@JamesBiggar]

The algorithm actually sucks lol. Channel is dying. If you want to see future uploads without relying on the algorithm 'maybe' showing you some day, check the sub feed ;)

[@daver.236]

@@JamesBiggar I hear ya. Too bad truly useful content like yours doesn't have the reach and growth it deserves. That's why I want to comment when I can so the algorithm at least sees signs of life.... What do you suppose has happened to slow down the channel?

[@daver.236]

@@JamesBiggar See this what I love about independent creators of most anything from content to news to products. The motive for authenticity, honesty, novelty, and purpose is just so much higher. You stumble across people who produce content you like, but they are also much more likely to engage and discuss because this is a passion project for them. I truly appreciate your answer to my question. You had no need to educate a stranger like that but you took the time to present the same kind of thorough, honest and refreshing information that you channel provides in the form of content. Just like watching your videos, I now now know more useful information than I did when opened your channel. I hope KZbin doesn't rob us of this ability to curate for ourselves a collection of useful, honest information. You get much respect for me. If you decide to change platforms, I hope you'll give plenty of notice because you are among a handful of creators I would follow on any platform. You are one of my favorite professors here at the University of KZbin.

[@JamesBiggar]

Weird, my comment is missing. I think you understand well enough anyway. Thanks bud, cheers!

[@daver.236]

@@JamesBiggar Imagine a comment where you give critical analysis of KZbin isn't showing. I'm sure it's just a glitch...

[@TundeEszlari]

Great video.

[@rexmundi8154]

Thanks for the video, very well done. I’d like to make an axial flux motor for a cycle cart project. Where can I find a guide for a novice to calculate wire size, number of turns, etc for a desired voltage and torque?

[@loopie007]

What do you think of making a couple of rollers that would shape the wire more into a square shape instead of a round wire? Wouldn't it help the wires sit in the wound coil tighter with less space between them? I would think the more copper per coil the better. Thoughts?

[@PhG1961]

Awesome !

[@maris22435]

Great ! 👍

[@kiiiisu]

very interesting, thanks for vid!

[@JamesBiggar]

Thanks for watching!

[@cybergaming42424]

Your lathe work is impressive

[@killerdeamonking]

just for the sake of wondering . Would it be possible to make a PMG Generator for 220V 3 phase with high amperage coils combined for both high voltage and amperage at low rpm? Get the best of both worlds.

[@nikbivation]

very nice!!

[@slevinshafel9395]

Have you tryed strip wire instead of round shape wire? Magnax have developed this.

[@boltmann]

Good to see another video James. That MIG welder you're using, is it (flux-cored) the gasless kind?

[@JamesBiggar]

Thanks! Yes.

[@boltmann]

@@JamesBiggar I never thought they were that good. I need to get me one! 😁

[@peeteris9]

Hey James, any reports on how the reaper is doing with 48v coil windings? Currently building one and curious to know.

[@JamesBiggar]

It worked great, I took it down a while back to prevent burning up the Classic though. It's just too much power, so I'm breaking it down into two smaller single pmg turbines. I've only ever used it with the Classic which allows it to spin beyond the 48V cut-in voltage. I've seen close to 200V from it before it furls. I can't say for certain what to expect if you're using pwm instead, but if you are then I would count on at least 20%+ less power than what I got using mppt.

[@peeteris9]

@@JamesBiggar Did you see 3kw at any point? I plan on using an mppt charge controler with two dump load options.

[@JamesBiggar]

I haven't 'seen' it but it was logged in the Classic a few times while it was up. I just wasn't around to witness it. I have seen over 2600w at just 24-26 mph, first week I put it up. See the link below, roughly 22 sec into the video. Bear in mind it's only on a 30ft tower below the tree line. The wind is pretty turbulent and the turbine's constantly tracking so wind speed and power isn't consistent at all. But power increases with the cube of the wind speed, and 3 kW isn't very far away from 2.6 in that regard. I wouldn't let it exceed that power, though. You should make it furl at or before that output because 3 kW pushes the ampacity limit of the coils. At roughly 200VAC peak ('wild' ac in the stator, before the rectifier) it'll be producing around 15A. It could probably handle up to 20A surge for short periods, but 15A constant should be the limit as that's all 14awg wire is rated for in most applications.

[@JamesBiggar]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5eYn3erf6lqoaM

[@JamesBiggar]

You can verify output at a given speed with the turbine power equation, or use the calculator below. 6ft blade length, 24 mph wind speed, 32% efficiency = 2.6 kW. Commercial and industrial turbines operate at 30-40% eff, so it works pretty dang good for DIY: www.omnicalculator.com/ecology/wind-turbine

[@valveman12]

I like it!

[@TheBaconWizard]

This style of coil is more efficient than a serpentine coil?

[@joshsayler7110]

As a question is there a trade of to plunge cutting threads vs chucking up a die to cut threads. Besides buying the specific size and pitch any reason to go for one vs another depending on size or length of thread?

[@JamesBiggar]

With a lathe this small I imagine that power would be an issue - plunge cutting with a single pointed tool works the lathe to its max as it is, so I don't think it could handle the extra load that a die would put on it without taking forever. But as I mentioned, I'm relatively new to metal turning so I'm not really the right guy to ask. Abom 79 could answer your question.

[@TheTwistedStone]

Weld wings or handles on the bolts locked together to hold wire then you won't need to find the spanners next coil change....

[@4adv.entures153]

Interesting!

[@dangoras9152]

Brother how much are u gonna be selling them.. And are u able to ship to the us.... Keep it up brother....... Awesome as always

[@JamesBiggar]

Not sure, but I'll let you guys know when the time comes.

[@dangoras9152]

Ok brother

[@johnsilver3546]

you have one wind generate for sale ?

[@rhalfik]

I'm not sure I agree with your theory that a thicker wire can't be packed as densely as a thin one. The problem is called circle packing in a square, and the packing density formulas show that the density fluctuates up and down as you make the diameter smaller. In the example in the video, you are fitting 6 wires in a layer (reminiscent of 36 circles in a square) which indeed is optimal. The thing is you can also go down to 5 wires per layer, which will have an identical packing density. Same goes for 4 and 3 and 2 and one, yes, just one circle per layer - in theory packing density is identical for all of them. Now going a little bit off topic, with a thicker wire, you can give it a more square crossection without compromising the roundness of it, because a thicker wire can still have the same radius to it's corners as a thin wire. This means, you can increase the packing density while keeping the same safe electrical properties. Now I know the dielectric on these wires is very thin, but a thicker wire has less dielectric, so that's a tiny advantage.

[@JamesBiggar]

In theory. In practice, that's not quite how it works out. First, you're forgetting human error. Keep in mind that we're talking about DIY micro turbines. The thicker that wire is, the harder it is to wind it by hand around a tight radius. Thick wire takes a lot of force to pack into a small package. 12, maybe 10 awg is the max for winding by hand around a 2x1" mag center, and you'll need some muscle and one heck of a grip to get it done right. After that, stator size grows exponentially while power density drops. Time tested and true. If you want to wind thick wires, you need the right gear to do it, which will cost a few hundred $ min. compared to this handy jig. The other thing you need to keep in mind is cut-in and operating voltage vs blade power, ie: coil turn count vs ampacity. Wind turbines operate a LOT more efficiently at higher voltages and lower current, and they're cheaper to produce and install that way. Thicker wire can obviously be wound tightly in an energy dense generator, otherwise industrial turbines wouldn't exist. But the awg requirement is entirely dependent on the tsr, turn count, subsequent voltage and the target power range. Thinner wire + more turns = less cost and better blade performance because 3 bladed turbines, like all electric generators, operate best at high speed. Voltage output is proportional to speed - limiting voltage effectively serves as a brake on the turbine and prevents the blades from spinning faster, ex voltage clippers. These are used on high voltage turbines to switch a load directly on the turbine to 'clip' the voltage down and lower the rpm in return to keep it from spinning out of control and damaging itself or the equipment it's connected to. The relationship between rpm and voltage is why we moved from pwm charge controllers to mppt. The latter doesn't lock the turbine at the battery voltage and allows it to spin up to an optimal rpm range for blade efficiency while producing 10-20X the output voltage than it would with pwm, which minimizes the current needed to achieve the same power while significantly reducing wire and cable thickness requirements both in and particularly outside of the gen where transmission lines can be anywhere from 50ft to 500ft or more depending on the tower height and location, and thus reduces the cost. A 12V wind turbine rated for 3kW would be significantly more expensive to install vs a 200V turbine rated for the same power, like mine. The 12V turbine would need 4/0 cable to carry that 250A just 1 meter, while my 200V turbine would get away with 16 awg to carry only 15A. Big difference in cost. A single 4/0 cable can cost up to $15/ft, but you can buy 50ft of 16/2 cable for roughly the same price. Using thinner wires to pack more turns into a coil and produce a higher voltage in a smaller package is the best way to design a wind turbine gen at any scale, but it's especially true in the DIY world where resources can be limited.

[@anandjyothi1]

Hi James, I would like to know the Gauge of coils and number of turns ?

[@JamesBiggar]

Then you should watch the video...

[@juan.2438]

PCB winding stator is better than a coil winding stator?

[@JamesBiggar]

🤷‍♂️

[@milothereporter]

are those bones red bearings

[@piconano]

Have you given up on your new generator build video?

[@JamesBiggar]

Nope, as I mentioned, I'm preoccupied with another build

[@AlyxGlide]

8:26 i presume you said 'wedge' shaped?

[@daniellyon7904]

Where are the update videos to the new turbine?

[@eugenechristopher5401]

waiting for the new series

[@JF32304]

Do you make these and sell them? Otherwise it's pointless to make such a jig for 15 or so coils.

[@JamesBiggar]

I believe I covered this in the video: "you get back what you put into it". You can keep it simple and wrap them around a wooden stick and mold for a quick and easy one-off if you want, or, if you're like me and make a living managing a channel where you build multiple generators and turbines and ev's or build/repair axial flux generators and motors and can find a use for having something more robust and consistent than a stick of wood, then spending a little more time or $ on a better tool will save down the road. But we're talking about something that only cost around $10 in scrap metal and an hour or two to make anyway. I spent more time turning the spindle than I spent doing everything else, which wasn't required. It's not a complicated jig.

[@JF32304]

@@JamesBiggar cool.

[@igorovcharov7424]

все это можно было бы из доски сколотить и на функционал ну никак бы не повлияло. Притом, что легче, дешевле и быстрее в изготовлении. Для счетчика можно применить старый калькулятор, припаяв на выводы копки "=" геркон и набрав на калькуляторе последовательность "0+1"

[@Traderhood]

I had to check if my playback speed is set to normal. I speak fast, but this is a hurricane.

[@JamesBiggar]

Lol. I prepare a script for narration and change the tempo (keep the pitch) in Audacity. Helps to cram in as much info as possible without wasting too much of your time waiting for my mouth to sync with my brain when I speaking off the cuff. I normally sound like a bumbling idiot.

[@PurpleGPZ]

where is the next video?

[@jolive3743]

within the space of 10 seconds of this vid, i had realised i was an uneducated moron ;) Brilliant viewing though brother

[@JamesBiggar]

LOL! I'm not educated either my friend. I learned all this after a decade or so of "denial and error".

[@jolive3743]

@@JamesBiggar Hey, James. I'm swapping my 1970 VW Early Bay Engine with a Tesla SDU in the next few months hopefully. One of the problem (expensive) parts is gonna be the half-shafts (direct to the rear wheels). Is it bad practice to take my VW ones, cut them in half, then take my Tesla ones and do the same and then use a welded Collar to rejoin them? Thanks for your kindness earlier Pal

[@JamesBiggar]

I did it with the buggy, but I just shortened them vs joining two different sets. I can't really advise it with confidence for the sole reason that a half shaft or cv axle is technically a torsion bar, which is spring steel, and is designed that way to withstand the torque transmitted through it to the wheels. Cutting and welding it will pretty much ruin the characteristics that made it a torsion bar. If the job is done 'well' then it should hold up fine to abuse. I haven't had any problems. But a person is still taking a risk if they do it. If you're a good welder then you'll probably be ok. The best way to do it is to cut it as close to the wheel or diff as possible so that the rest of the axle isn't disturbed by the welding and reinforcement, and can still twist relatively freely in the center if it needs to. Taper the ends of the cut and make multiple passes to fill the void when rejoining (I clamped mine in a piece of angle iron to keep it straight). I used 0.12" thick wall DOM for a collar, extended a few inches past either side of the joint. Used lots of plug welds in the collar along with welding the ends.

[@markb9070]

Could you slow down when talking, it's difficult to keep up while absorbing what you are saying.

[@АндрейТ-ы1э]

I'm disappointed, it won't work without cores.

[@JamesBiggar]

You might want to rethink that. I and dozens of other builders have proven otherwise thousands of times over the last 20+ years since the air core axial flux generator was developed by Hugh Piggott. Challenge yourself and search axial flux wind turbine. You will see thousands of working examples with efficiencies and performance that EXCEED steel core radial generators. Many of them are on my channel. This is indisputable.

[@АндрейТ-ы1э]

it doesn’t matter how you spin the generator, it matters what kind of generator you have, a vertical turbine by its nature does not develop more than 60-80 rpm, the generator you are assembling will start working after 500 rpm, I went through all this a long time ago@@JamesBiggar

[@wiktorkononczuk394]

Zpbacz baranie to jest rura itd........ baran

[@JamesBiggar]

🤨